Director Kim Ki-duk in Moscow in 2019. -

Pavel Golovkin / AP / SIPA

A master of South Korean cinema.

Filmmaker Kim Ki-Duk, to whom we owe in particular

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter ... And Spring

or

Pieta

, died this Friday in Riga, Latvia, at the age of 59 from COVID-19, have

 several of his collaborators

confirmed to the American magazine

Variety

.

Born in Bonghwa in South Korea, Kim Ki-duk left his native country in 1990 to study visual arts in France where he developed a passion for cinema.

On his return to Korea in 1994, he signed his first scripts (

Painter and prisoner, Illegal crossing

).

His first films (

The Crocodile, Wilds Animals, Birdcage Inn

) came out in general indifference.

Two prices for "Tenants"

Recognition comes with

L'Ile

, selected in particular at the Venice Film Festival in 2000.

Spring, summer, autumn, winter

And

Printemps

was hailed in many festivals in 2003. In 2004, it was the consecration: he won the Silver Bear for Best Director in Berlin and Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival for

Tenants

.

In 2013,

Pieta won

the Golden Lion in Venice

.

After the

Moebius

drama

in 2013 and the

One on One

thriller

the following year, Kim Ki-duk is back in 2017 with

Entre deux rives

.

That same year, an actress accused him of slapping her and forcing her to shoot nude and sexual scenes that were not written in the

Moebius

screenplay

, released four years earlier.

She was ultimately replaced on this shoot and, traumatized by this experience, has since turned the page of cinema.

Due to lack of evidence, the Seoul procuratorate dropped the sexual abuse charges against Kim Ki-Duk but fined him five million won (€ 3,800) under a procedure that allows settle minor matters without going to court.

His ultimate work,

Din

, shot in Kazakhstan in 2019, has never been seen in France.

Culture

Attacked by a director, an actress denounces the "hypocrisy" of the Berlin Festival

Kim Ki-duk makes a comeback for "Pieta"

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